Reach For Me
by doombitch
Summary: Love is between friends is not created overnight. It is formed years after weathering hardships and heartbreak together. It comes when you least expect it, when you feel like will never know what it's like to take someone's breath away.
1. Chapter 1

It was two weeks before Tenten got to say goodbye. It was surprising how quick the memorial service for those lost during the war took place. For Tenten and the rest of Team Gai, it didn't happen soon enough.

Since returning to Konoha, Gai was in the hospital, in and out of surgery. Opening the 8th Gate took too much of a toil on him, and he would be lucky to not be bedridden for the rest of his life. Tenten and Lee stayed with their sensei every day. The lobby of the operating wing became their new home; during nights, they slept in Gai's room. They refused to leave in fear that they may wake up and find their precious sensei gone too. Gai slept a lot. When he was awake, they would talk anything in an attempt to keep Gai's spirits high in face of his uphill battle. When Gai was sleeping or in surgery, Lee and Tenten would sit in silence; they could only fake it so much. The tension would build until someone would visit. Bringing books or food, giving updates on how everyone in the village was fairing or how the rebuilding was going was standard fair. Any mention of the dead would cause them all to stiffen. Tenten pretended to not notice the pity in their eyes.

It was Kakashi who told them about the memorial service; he caught Lee and Tenten walking back from the rehabilitation room. "Tomorrow? That's pretty quick…" Tenten looked at Lee whose expression mirrored her own. "Gai-sensei is still recovering, I do not think he will be able to make it" Lee's voice had none of his trademark enthusiasm in it. Kakashi waved a hand, "I've already gotten it cleared with Lady Tsunade. He's only allowed out long enough to attend, then he has to come straight back. Besides," Kakashi started walking toward rehabilitation room, "he'll be in a wheelchair, you guys can handle it." With another wave of the hand, Kakashi disappeared through the double doors.

_

It was around midnight and Tenten was still wide awake. Her anxiety was through the roof and her heart hammered at the thought of tomorrow. The bench that the hospital put in Gai's room had become her makeshift bed for the past fortnight. Lee had insisted she take it. He slept in a chair, his feet propped up on the bed and a thin blanket over him. How he managed to sleep like that was beyond her. Gai was was knocked out; flat on his back and snoring as loud as a flock of birds in the morning. Tenten got up, being quiet so she wouldn't disturb anyone. She crept to the door, hoping that some hot tea would help relax her mind, pulling the it open and—

A hand shot out of the dark and grabbed her arm. Tenten bit her lip hard to prevent herself from screaming and waking up the whole floor. "Tenten? What are you doing?" Lee whispered in the dark. "About to have a heart attack, what the hell Lee?" she hissed. Tenten couldn't make out his face well, but his manner was contrite. "I am sorry, I heard the door opened and…" Lee trailed off. She fell quiet and immediately understood, "Come get some tea with me, Lee."

The cafeteria had shut down for the night, but the nurses at the station were nice enough to make them some tea. They walked in silence until a bench facing a window came into their view. "Can we sit here?" Lee asked, as he sat down with cup in hand. Had this been any other time, Tenten would have pointed out that he sat down before she could answer him. But she didn't. She didn't have the energy to be snarky, nor the inclination. They sat in more silence; the only noise they made were sipping sounds, unable to even look at each other. Lee was the first to break the quiet, "…Tomorrow is the day…" Tenten nodded, unable to answer. Lee swallowed, shifting, "I— I hope that tomorrow is not too much for Gai-sensei. His recovery is too important to allow a setback."

Silence enveloped them again. Tenten had disgusted herself; unable to even discuss the service itself without choking on the lump in her throat. "Do you think the service will be long?" Lee seemed desperate to fill the silence. "I hope that we all have enough time to pay our respects to everyone who—"

"Lee," Tenten whispered, tea cup shaking in her hand. He broke off and stared at her. "Why does this have to be so hard?" she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, "Why does it have to hurt so bad? We should feel honored that he died protecting everyone, but—". She took a deep breath, trying to prevent any sobbing, despising herself for being unable to even say his name. "But he's gone, and left us here and—". Lee took the cup out of her hand as gentle as he could, and placed it beside him, "I know" was all he could say.

He wrapped an arm around her; she buried her face in his neck, and they cried together.

_

It was almost too cruel to have a memorial on such a pretty day. After the initial eulogy, everyone filtered through the tombstones to say their goodbyes. Tenten carried a bouquet of flowers. Lee pushed Gai-sensei's wheelchair while Gai had remained uncharacteristically quiet all morning. The remains of Team Gai made their way from the back of the crowd to Neji's grave. The Hyuuga's were already there praying. They waited,trying to be respectful by giving the Hyuuga's privacy. Once Hiashi ended their prayer, he approached Gai. "Thank you for helping shape Neji into the shinobi he became. You have my eternal gratitude." He nodded at Tenten and Lee before walking off.

Hinata approached them next, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," was all she managed to say before breaking into sobs again, embracing Tenten. With all she had, Tenten hugged Hinata hard and squeezed her eyes shut to stop her own tears. Hinata broke off, hugging Lee, then Gai before following her father.

Neji's grave already had a few wreaths of flowers on it. Tenten laid their flowers on the ground, her breath catching. Lee already had tears running down his face, not bothering to wipe them away. The three of them stayed quiet, staring at the marker in front of them. "Do you both remember when you passed the Chuunin Exam? And Neji got promoted to Jounin?" Gai waited a beat and continued. "After we celebrated, Neji told me something that he made me promise I would never repeat. Especially to you two."

Gai took a deep breath and Tenten finally looked him. Tears were streaming down the older man's face. "He told me that you both grown so much and that he was proud to call you his teammates. That he was glad, that you both stuck by him no matter what." Gai wiped his face, a weak smile on his lips. "I could tell you now because he's gone and he won't follow through on his threat to break my legs." Tenten's heart hurt to the point she thought she was dying. Lee sobbed like he did when he first held Neji's body.

"I'm—" Gai took a breath to steady himself, "I'm so proud of you Neji, thank you for being my student."

"Thank you for being my rival" Lee choked out.

"Thank you for everything" Tenten said softly, her face wet with tears.

After what felt like an hour, they turned away from the gravestone. Gai's time was up and he needed to head back to the hospital before Tsunade saw him outside still. With one last look, Tenten followed Gai and Lee out of the cemetery. Kakashi approached them after they passed the threshold. "I'll take Gai back to the hospital; you two go get some food," he threw a small coin purse at Lee, "my treat." Tenten and Lee looked at Gai who nodded, "I'll be okay. My eternal rival will make sure I get there before I'm found!" He flashed them a nice guy pose. Despite being skeptical that Kakashi could be on time for anything, Tenten nodded, "Okay. Lee, let's go."

_

"I don't think I've eaten a full meal in forever" Tenten moaned. Lee was too busy eating to even answer. "…It was pretty nice of Kakashi to take Gai-sensei back for us," she said "I wonder if Kakashi was just trying to get us away from him for a little bit." Lee looked at her. "You know," she continued, "so they can have alone time." She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh—OH!" Lee sputtered, some food falling out of his mouth. Embarrassed, Lee finished swallowing before he continued. "I think it would be nice for Gai-sensei to have some company that isn't us. He needs to get his mind off of things."

Tenten nodded in agreement. They all did, if she wanted to be honest. "Hey Lee, you wanna go do something after we're done? To get our minds off of—" she flapped her hands, "this?" Lee stared at her for a minute, "Uh, sure! What did you have in mind?"

Despite the sorrow, despite the hurt buried in her chest, Tenten forced herself to laugh at the movie Lee chose to watch. Soon enough, she was laughing for real.


	2. Chapter 2

The following six months after the memorial service was the most hectic time Konoha had seen since Pain's attack. And yet, a sense of normalcy was restored. It was barely a week after the service before the Fifth Hokage began assigning new missions to those able. The dead laid to rest, the mourning period ended.

Life went on.

Released from the hospital and relying mostly on a wheelchair, Gai helped out at the Academy as an instructor. Between that, going to physical therapy, and helping Kakashi prepare for his eventual coronation as the Sixth Hokage, Gai was able to stay busy and regain most of his positive attitude. Both Tenten and Lee had worried that the loss of both Neji and his own ability to go on missions would cause him to despair. But with their teacher in good hands, they could concentrate on something else for a change.

Lee had a ton of high-ranked missions from the get-go. Tenten was initially apprehensive. The terror of something horrible happening to him roiled the anxiety in her gut and wouldn't quite leave no matter how much he said he'd be okay.

"Tenten," Lee said, a tiny bit exasperated, "There will always be at least one other person accompanying me! I will be fine, I promise." They were standing at the front gate together. Lee had come back from his fourth mission that week and was about to go on his fifth. He was refusing to leave until he could calm her fears. She stood by him in silence, worrying at her lip. He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him, "Please trust me." He gave her a patented Nice Guy Pose.

She shook her head and smiled a little bit in spite of herself. He was really trying to give her peace of mind. "Fine. But!" Tenten said, pointing a finger at him, "I'll watch you leave and be here when you come back! So you better keep your promise." He grinned at her and ran off to join Shino, who had patiently been waiting for them to finish up. Tenten watched him walk away until she couldn't make out the distinctive green of his jumpsuit against the forest.

Though her anxiety over Lee and Gai kept her up at night, she had to put all her energy into a new assignment.

After the war, all villages were facing a weapons shortage; not a single kunai could spared. Even though it was now a time of peace, no village wanted to be ill-equipped to handle any incoming threats. The newly formed Shinobi Union decided to create a committee whose sole focus was the manufacturing and equal distribution of arms. As the Hokage's choice, Tenten got appointed as Konoha's Weapons Expert, who was then nominated as the committee's leader by unanimous vote.

She worked all day, every day, stopping only for an hour to eat lunch or dinner. Her normal routine included meeting with arms manufacturers, coordinating with fellow committee members, sending reports to the Shinobi Union, and endless studying of different weapons and what exactly goes into making them.

It was demanding, tiring work that took up almost all her free time. Even so, she would try to carve out time to see Gai for an hour, or grab a quick lunch with Lee before or after his mission. She always saw him off at the gate and was there when he returned. That was the only way she could keep her anxiety over him down.

She was consistently driven to the point of exhaustion every day. She passed out over her work more times than she'd like to admit. There was no time to worry over Gai and Lee, but she did anyways.

_

"Watch out!" Lee pulled Tenten back out of yet another person's way before she ran into them. Tenten had her nose buried in a thick book. "You really should pay attention to where you're going," Lee scolded. "Sorry," Tenten replied, turning the page, "but I need to finish going over this." He walked behind her, hands on her shoulders to guide her through the throng of people. "Are you going to be back in time for Naruto's birthday celebration? It is next week," he asked, reading over her shoulder.

"Should be. If this gets approved, I'll be back at least a day before," she said, brow furrowed in concentration.

Lee's eyebrows raised, "Ah, so this the finished proposal? If it gets approved, will you finally be able to slow down?" Concern colored his voice.

"Mhm."

He tilted his head, trying to make sense of it while deftly navigating the both of them to the front gate. "I am sure that it will go through, Tenten! You have worked so hard on this!" She faintly flushed with pride at the compliment, "Thanks Lee." Honestly, she had poured every bit herself into this project and almost lost all her sanity. It better damn well be good. With a snap, she shut book and looked up; they were already at the gate.

"You know…" she said, "I think this is the first time you've sent me off…". He rubbed his chin, "Yeah, I think you are right. Most of the time when you leave, I am busy." They were quiet for a few moments, as neither were sure what to do, before Lee pulled her into a tight hug. "Everything will go fine! I believe in you!"

Surprise tears sprung into her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time someone hugged her like they meant it. After spending all of her waking moments working on her own, she almost had forgotten what physical affection felt like. Tenten returned the hug fiercely and pressed her face into his shoulder to wipe away the tears. They stayed like that for a moment before pulling apart; Lee was beaming at her. She grinned right back, his smile was infectious.

"Alright I have to go. I'll let you know when they decide."

"Promise?"

She nodded, "Promise."

He waved at her while she was walking away. Tenten could still see him every time she turned around and waved back, until he was no more than an enthusiastic looking dot.

_

Suna's weapons committee representative was to be waiting for her at the border. Yet, she was instead greeted by a familiar blonde woman. "Ah, there you are!" Temari waved, "the weapons committee member fell ill, so I agreed to meet you." Tenten immediately felt nervous. Though Temari became somewhat of a normal sight in Konoha, she and Tenten still weren't exactly on the best of terms. Humiliating defeat tended to do that. "Temari," Tenten replied, voice even. Temari looked behind her, "Shikamaru's not with you?"

"Nope, he went on ahead yesterday."

"Oh." Disappointment flooded her voice. "Well," Temari recovered, "this will give me a chance to talk to you with no one else around." Tenten stiffened, feeling herself on edge, "About what?" The other woman started walking, "You know, about things." From what she knew about Temari, this was awfully indirect and vague of her. Tenten followed her, unable to get herself to relax.

An hour passed, and Tenten was about to go crazy from curiosity. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

Temari kept walking ahead, "I respect you as our weapons committee leader. I respect you as a fellow kunoichi and as an ally of Suna." She waited, seeming to struggle with finding the right words. Minutes passed. "I…What happened between us at the Chuunin Exam…I wanted to apologize."

Tenten felt her temper flare, but she tamped it down, "There's nothing to apologize for, you beat me fair and square." She didn't want to pity just because she lost.

The blonde looked at her for a moment before continuing, "That may be true, but I didn't have to be such an asshole about it." She shook her head, "I was arrogant. I didn't respect you as an opponent, and I really am sorry." They stopped in the middle of the road and stared at each other.

Tenten sighed, rubbing the back of her head. She considered Temari's apology, and the petty side of her didn't want to forgive her. But, she remembered Lee and Gaara's fight, and how despite crippling him, Lee forgave Gaara.

Nothing like that happened between her and Temari. It wouldn't kill her to accept the apology. She smiled, "I accept your apology." Temari seemed a little taken aback, as if she didn't expect Tenten's forgiveness. "We're allies now, and it's all water under the bridge." Tenten stated before standing beside her, hand extended. The blonde smiled and shook her hand.

They continued on in silence for another hour before Temari spoke again, "So can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Is…" Temari went red, "Is Shikamaru seeing anyone or—"

Tenten snorted so hard, she almost swallowed a bug, "Nuh uh. I don't think he's interested in anyone right now."

Temari considered this information in silence. Tenten resisted rolling her eyes, "Not to say you don't have a chance. I'm only going off of what Ino told me. She said he's turned down every girl in Konoha that's approached him."

At that, Temari went even redder, "I never said I wanted to date him, I was just curious….But could you tell me more?"

_

Tenten decided she liked Temari after they both went out for drinks to celebrate the proposal getting ratified. Temari outdrank her and everyone else, then taught her how to cheat at cards so she could "get the boys to get naked" during strip poker. Neither of them had laughed that hard in months.


	3. Chapter 3

_Lee,_

 _My proposal got ratified by the Union! I'm staying for a few more days to help iron out any trouble, but I don't think we'll have any problems. I'll definitely be back by the 8th, I'll see you then._

 _\- Tenten_

 _PS. – Don't worry about getting Naruto a gift, I've picked something that can be from the both of us. I think he'll like it more than those herbal supplements you were gonna get him.  
_

* * *

Lee read and reread the letter, then read it once more for good measure. He wished that Lady Tsunade had granted his request to go with Tenten to the meeting, but he was needed for other missions. After insisting she change her mind for over ten minutes, the Hokage chided him.

"Lee!" Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk, causing him to jump. "Tenten is a fine kunoichi who is perfectly capable of taking care of herself! Not only that, she's meeting up with Suna's representative on the way there, so it's not like she doesn't have back up." She jabbed a pen in his direction, "I'm not throwing any of my available shinobi at pointless missions. Understood?"

He got it.

He really did.

There just wasn't enough shinobi around to go on missions. He was one of the few who could handle consecutive high rank missions and not break much of a sweat. It made sense.

He just didn't have to like it.

But she was coming home soon. That's all that mattered. He wouldn't stop feeling itchy all over until he saw her unharmed with his own two eyes.

"Hey Lee, you gonna eat that?" Chouji pointed at Lee's ramen, "If not, then give it to me, I'm still hungry."

Lee snapped back to reality. He, Kiba, and Chouji had just gotten done with a mission and we're at Ichiraku's to eat. "Go ahead, I am not as hungry as I thought I was."

Chouji slid the bowl towards him, "Suit yourself man." Kiba cradled his chin in his hand and looked at Lee, "Did you get bad news or something Lee? You're looking pretty sour." The bowlcut shook his head, "No, it is nothing like that. I am just thinking about something."

Pausing while eating for a moment, Chouji looked at him with an eyebrow arched, "Well what is it then? You've been acting weird all day."

It was expected that they would be concerned. During the mission, it was clear that his mind was elsewhere when he walked into a trap and almost got decapitated by a falling flail. And he fell into a hole and almost broke his leg. Then there were all those flying kunai.

He spread his hands on the counter, "I need advice. How do you…how does one know if they like someone? And how do you even get her to return your feelings?"

"I hate to tell you Lee, but me and Chouji are literally the worst people to ask," Kiba said with an apologetic shrug, "I have no idea how to get a girl." Chouji grunted, "Speak for yourself, my game is just fine. Who is it Lee?"

He stared at his hands. To be honest, he hadn't allowed himself to admit to it, much less say it outloud. "It's—"

"I bet I know who it is!" Naruto slammed down in the seat beside Kiba, "I bet it's Sakura." He rummaged through his pockets to pull out his money, "She turned me down too, so don't feel bad—Hey old man! Gimme today's special!"

Kiba scratched his face, "Oh yeah, I forgot you liked her. You've liked her for a really long time." Chouji nodded, "If you want to get with her, it'll be hard but—"

"It is not her!" Lee felt oddly defensive, "I respect Sakura as an amazing medical-nin and as a comrade, but I no longer feel that way about her." With that, Lee carefully folded the letter and placed it in a pocket on his chuunin vest.

Naruto raised his hands, "Easy man, I didn't know! Sorry."

With a flourish, Chouji threw his chopsticks in the now-empty bowl, "Then who is it?"

Naruto squinted at Lee before he broke into a smug grin, "It's Hinata isn't it! I see you guys together a lot." In reality, the only time they met up was once a month to visit Neji's grave together. The reminder of Neji made his stomach turn, "Never! Hinata is just a good friend!"

"Hmmm," Naruto had his face screwed up in concentration, "It's probably In—"

"I know who it is." Sakura lifted the curtain and entered the hut. Lee immediately felt ready for death.

"Hey hey hey, this is a conversation between men!" Kiba shouted, standing up and pointing at her, "Were you eavesdropping on us?" She scowled at him, "I could hear you four in the street. If you want don't want people to hear what you're talking about, I suggest you not scream what you're saying."

With a huff, she took her order off of the counter and handed over some money, "Lee, come with me. I'll help you out." Not bothering to wait, Sakura turned and left. Lee paused for only a moment before getting up and following her out.

"Hey! What are we, chopped liver?" Kiba yelled. "Let it go Kiba, women give the best advice on women." Chouji sniffed.

* * *

The counseling center Sakura and Ino had worked so hard to set up was finally coming into its own. Helping children who had lost their parents. Seeing to veteran shinobi who struggled with nightmares and the loss of their comrades. Since the center kept busy, they had to hire more staff, a long way way from how they started with just the two of them.

When Sakura entered followed by Lee, Ino had arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. In her office, Sakura pointed to a chair that was in front of her desk, "Take a seat."

Lee did what he as told, feeling very much like he was about to be scolded. Taking a seat across from him, she waited for him to start talking while she dug into her food. He fidgeted, uncomfortable and not sure where to start. "I—How do you know when your feelings for someone you have considered a close friend develops into something…more?"

She kept her face neutral, "When did you start feeling like something was different?"

"Before we moved out to the battlefield." He looked at the floor, "Neji was training with the Hyuuga's, Gai-sensei was not in the village. We trained just the two of us for weeks." Not able to sit any longer, he stood up, "Then one day, she stopped her target practice and said she wanted to take a break for a few hours. So," Lee was pacing, "We went to her apartment, she made food, and we watched a movie."

Sakura kept her eyes trained on him, still quietly eating.

Lee continued, "She—She laced her arm with mine and held on to me the entire time. When it got to a sad part, she leaned against me and put her head on my shoulder." He stopped and stared out of the window, "My heart, it was beating so fast and hard. I thought it was going to explode."

"What happened after the movie ended?"

With a groan he rubbed his face, "She punched me in the arm and we went to train some more."

"And that's it? That's the only time you've felt that way around her?"

Lee shook his head and sat back down, "No, any time we were together afterwards, I felt that way. Especially since…" he hesitated.

"Since Neji died?"

Lee wouldn't look her in the eye, "Yes. It is just us now. We only have each other and we have spent almost all of our free time together. We have Gai-sensei as well, but neither of us is willing to burden him with our feelings while he is trying to recover". He wringed his hands, "I feel as if, were I to admit it to her, she would only accept my feelings out of pity or feel obligated to return them."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow, "Do you really think Tenten would be the type of person to do that?" Lee flinched at her name, but kept his eyes firmly on the floor "No, she is not, but I believe she would do that out of a desire to not cause me anymore pain."

They fell silent as Sakura finished up her lunch.

"Want my honest opinion?" Sakura asked after a few minutes. Lee vigorously nodded, "Please Sakura, do not hold back."

She got up and walked around the desk to stand in front of him, "I think you love her and that you need to tell her." Lee finally looked up and met Sakura's eyes; the kunoichi was leaned against her desk, smiling. "Not saying you need to confess immediately," she continued, "or even in the next week or month. But I think that you would do well to tell her."

Lee gripped his knees, "I do not think I can."

"Sure you can," Sakura said bracingly, "You just need to wait for the right time."

"When will I know it is the right time?"

"You'll know when it happens" Sakura smiled enigmatically. "Give yourself some time to heal and sort out what you feel. It'll come to you, I promise."

He was quiet for a moment, then he nodded, "I think I understand. Thank you Sakura, I appreciate your help. I am going to go train now, see if it will help me."

After Lee left, Ino walked into Sakura's office, "What was that all about?" Sakura waved a hand, "He needed some advice, that's all." Ino leaned against the doorframe, "I don't think him, Tenten, or Gai has really dealt with Neji's death. "

"He's definitely not as enthusiastic as he used to be," Sakura agreed, "quieter too."

"Tenten looks like she's about to cry all the time."

"I think that has a lot to do with working herself to death over that arms deal thing."

Ino tutted, "She's only doing that so she doesn't have to think about Neji."

Sakura picked up her food container, "Most likely. But we can't do anything unless she comes to us. We can only be her friend for now." She tried to toss it into the wastebasket but missed. "Damnit!"

* * *

Lee was doing 2,000 push-ups at the front gate while waiting for Tenten. He had been there since morning; it was now going on 3 o'clock before he noticed a white speck in the distance. A few minutes later, Tenten was standing in front of him, a small smile on her face, "Do you ever take a break from training?"

He leapt up, "I have been neglecting training for a week, so I wanted to get some in." Shikamaru and Temari walked up in behind her.

"Lee—" Shikamaru started, but stopped, seeming to think better of it.

"Hm? What is it Shikamaru?"

"It's nothing. Nothing at all."

Lee stared at him, but then just shrugged, "Hey Tenten," Lee tried to be casual but only ended up feeling awkward, "want to get food?"

* * *

The four of them ended up getting lunch together. Lee was happy to find that Temari and Tenten had become friends. Afterwards, they left to go report to the Hokage, leaving Lee to his own devices. He ended up going to visit Gai-sensei, who became flustered when Lee saw him holding Kakashi's hand.

He later caught Tenten walking back from the Hokage's office late at night. Falling in step beside her, without a word, they stopped at one of the bridges.

"Lee, look how big the moon looks tonight" she said, pointing up at it.

"It is very beautiful" he said, not looking at the moon.

* * *

When he slept that night, he did not dream of blood and death for the first time in over eight months.


	4. Chapter 4

It was unsurprising that Lee was one of the few people who were sober at Naruto's birthday celebration. The future Hokage insisted on having his party at the newest bar in Konoha, so it only made sense that everyone would drink.

Well, almost everyone.

Lee couldn't drink at all without immediately going on a rampage, destroying everything in sight. So he hung back from everyone else, drinking water from a plastic bottle so it couldn't be confused with anyone's glass. He sat at their reserved table, having a pleasant time watching everyone else.

Temari, with one of Shikamaru's unlit cigarettes in her mouth, was wiping the floor with the Nara clan member, Chouji, and a few unlucky strangers at poker. She was attending the party as either Shikamaru's plus one or Gaara's stand-in since he couldn't make it. No one was sure which it was, and no one dared ask. Naruto had been more than happy to have her, glad that Gaara had remembered his birthday.

Speaking of the birthday boy, Naruto was currently on the karaoke stage with Kiba, singing his plastered heart out. He had also managed to drag Sai up there, who seemed to be glad that he was being included.

Lee kept his eyes on the crowd in front of the stage; quite a few were dancing, including Sakura, Ino, and Tenten. All three of them were very drunk, judging by how loud they were cackling. He couldn't help but watch, it was the most relaxed he'd seen Tenten in months. Plus, her dancing was nice—

"It looks like Kiba finally convinced someone to sing with him." Shino sat down beside him, distracting him from his thoughts. One of the three designated sober persons, Shino said he never drank due to how his bugs reacted to alcohol. According to Kiba, Shino has been drunk before, and the tale of Drunk Shino was legendary, but never elaborated on. Mostly out of Shino's habit to immediate sic fleas on Kiba if it was mentioned.

Lee smiled, "He seemed pretty determined to get you up there."

"Why he insists on me embarrassing myself, I'll never know. I don't know why I put up with him sometimes."

"You both work well together," Lee commented, his eyes following Tenten again.

Shino grunted. He and Kiba's relationship turned out to be more than just a 'bromance' as Kiba would put it when Sakura and Hinata walked in on them fooling around. Despite blinding her, Hinata was so happy for the both of she started crying from joy. Now they were publicly 'together', though they still didn't act like it. "…I guess."

"You should really go up there with him Shino," a soft voice teased. Hinata sat down with three fresh water bottles, two of which she handed to them. The Hyuuga heir rounded out the designated sober persons; she didn't drink much, if at all. Besides, she could knock Lee out quickly if he ended up drinking alcohol by accident.

Shino just stared at her from behind his glasses while Lee guffawed. "And Lee, you should go dance with Tenten," Hinata's eyes sparked, "I'm sure she'd like it." Lee's laughter died instantly, causing Shino to smirk.

"Uh, I do not dance well" Lee said lamely, face red as a tomato.

Hinata hid her mouth behind her hand, trying to not giggle. "Speaking of which…" Shino said as Tenten stumbled towards them.

"Hinnnnataaaaaa," she drawled. Tenten was clearly hammered, her cheeks pink, "You should dance with us! It's so much fuuuunnnn." The last word got drawn out as she leaned against Hinata's back, cackling. Lee had never seen Tenten this drunk in all the time he's known her. It was a little disconcerting.

Tenten straightened up, grabbing a cup of sake that had been left untouched and downed it like a shot. "Come oonnnn," she firmly grabbed Hinata by the hands and pulled her towards the dancefloor.

Hinata spared them a terrified glance before she embraced by an intoxicated Sakura.

"Poor Hinata," said Shino, "Tenten's rather affectionate when she's hammered."

"I wouldn't worry about her," Shikamaru plopped down in Hinata's vacated spot, "They'll be gentle with her. Unlike her," he jabbed a thumb in Temari's direction, "She robbed me blind."

"Have you not been drinking, Shikamaru?" Lee asked, puzzled. He seemed perfectly sober.

Shikamaru shook his head, "No I have been, I'm not getting drunk though. Just drinking enough to feel good. Don't like it fogging my clarity."

Shino sighed, "If only everyone else was like that…" he trailed off as Kiba attempted to stage dive. The crowd parted as soon as he jumped and he landed on the floor in a crumpled heap, knocked out. Naruto started hooting and hollering, back-flipping over Kiba's unconscious form.

The three of them stared.

"Well…that happened." Shikamaru observed before sipping his beer again.

Shino let out a soul-weary sigh, "I'll go get him" he said before leaving to collect his incapacitated boyfriend.

It wasn't two minutes after Shino had picked up Kiba's unconscious form when Lee noticed a man trying to put his hands on Hinata.

"Come on baby, you'd have a fun time with me."

"No thank you, I'm fine here with my friends."

"Don't be like that baby, let's go back to my place."

"SHE SAID NO, YOU ASSHOLE."

The man turned around to say something, but Tenten punched him square in the face, breaking his nose. He went flying into the bar, landing on two people.

Tenten wobbled for a bit, "Yeeaahh, that's right! You don't mess around with my friends!"

Shikamaru looked from Tenten, to the bar where the man was struggling to get up, to Lee, "I think you should take her home before she gets arrested. Or worse."

Lee rushed over to her, "Tenten, it is time to leave."

She blinked slowly, not able to focus her eyes well, "I don't feel good."

He looped his arm around her waist, placed her arm across his shoulders, and got her out of there before anyone could stop them.

 _Neji and Lee were half dragging, half carrying Tenten from Ino's house._

 _Shikamaru had called Neji to ask him to collect his teammate; she had drank way too much and was incapable of taking herself home. Lee happened to be with Neji at the time, training with him until late._

 _"Whoever got the bright idea to host a party days before we ship out deserves to have a hot kunai pressed into their back" Neji hissed._

 _"It could be worse," Lee said brightly, "She could be—"_

 _"Gonna barf" Tenten slurred._

 _Neji dropped her like she had all of a sudden contracted the plague. Lee helped her into an alleyway where she proceeded to vomit her guts up. "Tell me when she's done." Neji yelled. The Hyuuga could deal with most things, but one of them wasn't puke._

 _After she got done tossing the contents of her stomach, Lee helped her onto his back so he could piggyback her to her place. They walked for maybe four minutes before Neji started complaining._

 _"Could be worse, you say" Neji grumbled, then a little louder, "Tenten, what possessed you to get so intoxicated?"_

 _Tenten, up until Neji addressed her, had her face buried into Lee's shoulder, "Because…I wanted to…?"_

 _"We leave in three days and you decided it was a fine time to get hammered?" Neji was in a mood. "Did you bother to think—"_

 _To drown him out, Tenten started singing, "Every party needs a pooper, that's why they invited you. Party pooper! Party pooper!"_

 _Anytime he would open his mouth to complain about the state she had gotten herself in, Tenten would start yelling 'Party pooper!' until he stopped. Neji was appalled and Lee started laughing so hard he almost dropped Tenten._

 _After 15 minutes, the trio reached Tenten's apartment._

 _"I forgot my keys," Neji said, rummaging through a pouch. Each of them had spares of the others' key._

 _"Mine are in in my shuriken pouch. The key with the bear charm is Tenten's." Lee stuck out his ass to indicate where it was._

 _Neji didn't react for a minute before reaching into the pouch, "What do you mean bear ch—" On Lee's keychain were three charms: a smiling green tiger, laughing pink bear, and a rather sour-looking purple rabbit. "Why?"_

 _Lee hoisted Tenten up again to keep her from slipping, "It is to make sure I do not get them confused! Each charm is attached to a corresponding key. The tiger is for Gai-sensei."_

 _"So that makes me the—"_

 _"Ha!" Tenten snorted, "You're the pissed off bunny! Ahahahaaaaa!"_

 _If he thought Lee was capable of taking care of Tenten while she was drunk, Neji would have already left. Instead, he opened the door and said nothing._

 _Lee helped Tenten to the bathroom, while Neji started pulling out pajamas for the three of them. Tenten always kept extra clothes for the two of them around in case they ever stayed over._

 _While she was in the shower, they got changed and started making beds out in the living room for themselves. Lee could hear Tenten retching in the shower, "Better out than in."_

 _"Better out than on me," Neji replied._

 _A few more minutes passed before Tenten crawled out of the bath, comb and hair tie in hand, "Leeeee, will you braid my hair."_

 _He sat up on the couch, she leaned against his legs. Gently, he combed the tangles out; her hair was more than half-way down her back. Lee thought it was beautiful._

 _"You can still do that?" Neji asked._

 _Lee nodded, "Yes. I have never forgotten. Would you like me to do your hair as well?" It was a genuine question._

 _"Absolutely not."_

 _"Party pooper" Tenten mumbled, half asleep._

 _With her hair in a nice braid, Neji pulled Tenten up and both men helped her into the bed. Lee pulled the covers up to her chin, Neji turned out the lights. "Goodnight." Neji said as they turned to leave._

 _"Waaaiiiittttt!" she wailed. They stopped in their tracks. "Sleep in here with me so I don't get lonely." Lee's heart caught in his throat._

 _"Tenten," Neji said through gritted teeth, clearly at his limit, "we can't fit."_

 _She scooted towards the middle of her bed, "Yes you can, pleeeaasseeeee? I don't wanna be alone."_

 _Neji looked at Lee, who could only offer an apologetic shrug. Neji sighed loudly, glaring at Lee as if this was somehow he fault, "Fine! Fine." He laid the left side while Lee took the right. "But if you puke on me in your sleep, you will regret it Tenten."_

 _"Goodnight" she said in a sing-song voice before kissing both of their cheeks. Tenten passed out within seconds of hitting the pillow. Lee was thankful no one could see his bright red face in the dark._

 _"This woman is going to be the death of me" Neji stated before rolling over._

 _Lee laid awake for a long time before sleep took him._

History had a habit of repeating itself. Only this time it was just the two of them.

As soon as the cold outside air hit Tenten, she started heaving. Lee gently led her to an alleyway so she could vomit without drawing a crowd. When she was done, she allowed herself to be piggybacked home. Tenten buried her face into Lee's hair and neck, giving him goosebumps every time she breathed. They didn't speak during the entire trip to her apartment.

It wasn't the same without Neji there to nag and complain. To play the straight man to Tenten's shenanigans. Lee's eyes blurred for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. He wondered if Tenten was thinking about Neji too.

After getting the apartment door open, it became a familiar routine. Get out clothes for the both of them (his chest hurt when he saw Neji's tshirt), put Tenten in the shower, get changed, help her out of the bathroom after she's put her clothes on, get a comb and hair tie to fix her hair.

Lee decided to take his time braiding, slowly but neatly weaving her hair. He never got many opportunities to touch her like this. Tenten had her face leaned against his knee, barely awake. After he finished, he picked her up like she was a child and carried Tenten into her room. After displacing the covers, he laid her down, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. With a click, her bedside lamp was off. Lee turned to leave when a hand reached for him.

"Don't go," Tenten said, her voice small and sleepy, "Please?"

He hesitated, before getting under the blankets and lying flat on his back.

Tenten immediately curled up to Lee; her head finding his chest and her arm draping across his stomach. She lifted her head, kissed his cheek and whispered, "Goodnight." After settling back down, she was asleep within minutes, breath tickling his neck again.

Lee had been frozen in place since she decided to use him as her pillow. When she kissed him, he became acutely aware of how his dick reacted when Tenten touched him. Quiet as a mouse, he adjusted himself so in the event she would wake up, she wouldn't have to see his—

"You're as hard as a rock," she mumbled. Lee's heart stopped dead. Tenten used his free hand to poke his own chest and stomach hard, "See? Like a rock…A Rock Lee ahahaha get it…ha…haaaa."

"Yes, that is my name. Go to sleep Tenten" Lee said weakly. She rubbed her face into his chest, while mumbling some more. It was only when he could hear her breathing slow did he relax.

After two hours of lying there, Lee kissed the top of her head tenderly. "Goodnight, Tenten" he whispered into the dark.


End file.
